This invention relates to a surface mount, right angle electrical connector, especially but not exclusively a surface mount right angle, circular DIN connector; having solder tails for soldering to contact pads on a circuit board. The invention also relates to an electrical terminal for such a connector. The invention pertains to connectors, which have three superposed rows of terminals from which the solder tails project.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,991 discloses an electrical connector comprising an insulating housing having two rows of terminal receiving cavities in each of which is lodged a mating portion of an electrical terminal from which projects from a terminal receiving face of the housing, and normally of the mating portion, a solder tail for soldering to a respective contact pad on a circuit board. The solder tails extend in a single row, the solder tails of the mating portions in the upper row of cavities being longer than those of the terminals received in the cavities of the lower row. U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,554, U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,555, U.S. Pat. No. 908,335 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,819 disclose a through-hole mount circular DIN connector having an insulating housing formed with three superposed rows of terminal receiving cavities, each cavity receiving a mating portion of a respective electrical terminal from which mating portion projects, normally thereof, a solder tail or leg for insertion in a respective hole in a circuit board or which the connector is mounted. The leg of each terminal is connected to the mating portion thereof, by way of a cranked arm which serves to offset the leg of the terminal from the mating portion thereof laterally of the housing. A spacer plate for the legs extends rearwardly from a terminal receiving face of the housing and is formed with rearwardly opening notches each for receiving two of the terminal legs so that these legs are arranged in two juxtaposed rows for insertion in two correspondingly arranged rows of holes in the circuit board. The arrangement of the legs in two rows, is achieved by appropriately cranking and appropriately dimensioning the arms of the terminals, taking account of the fact that the terminal receiving cavities are arranged in an unsymmetrical array. The cavities of the upper and the middle rows of the three rows of cavities are three in number, the cavities of the lower row being two in number. The cranked arms extend obliquely away from the terminal receiving face of the housing. The extent of offset of the legs with respect to the mating portions, is however sufficient for the purpose of arranging the legs in two rows. There is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,173, an electrical connector having a housing formed with three superposed rows of connector receiving cavities in each of which is a mating portion of an electrical terminal from which projects a solder tail substantially normally of the mating portion for soldering to a contact pad on a printed circuit board. The cavities are arranged in a symmetrical array, each cavity of each row being vertically aligned with two cavities of the other rows. The terminals of the connector are identical with each other excepting for the lengths of their solder tails and are canted in their cavities, in such a way that solder feet of the soldering tails are arranged in a single row.